The Sunday Philosophy Club: Summary and book reviews of The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith, plus links to an excerpt from The Sunday Philosophy Club and a biography of Alexander McCall Smith.

With The Sunday Philosophy Club, Alexander McCall Smith, the author of the best-selling and beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels, begins a wonderful new series starring the irrepressibly curious Isabel Dalhousie. Isabel is fond of problems, and sometimes she becomes interested in problems that are, quite frankly, none of her business. This may be the case when Isabel sees a young man plunge to his death from the upper circle of a concert hall in Edinburgh. Despite the advice of her housekeeper, Grace, who has been raised in the values of traditional Edinburgh, and her niece, Cat, who, if you ask Isabel, is dating the wrong man, Isabel is determined to find the truth–if indeed there is one–behind the man's death. The resulting moral labyrinth might have stymied even Kant. And then there is the unsatisfactory turn of events in Cat's love life that must be attended to. Filled with thorny characters and a Scottish atmosphere as thick as a highland mist, The Sunday Philosophy Club is irresistible, and Isabel Dalhousie is the most delightful literary sleuth since Precious Ramotswe.

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I have to fundamentally disagree with the reviewer who writes 'unfortunately, Smith's subplots are more interesting than the main mystery and the key character gets bogged down in too many philosophical digressions'. I disagree because, as far as I'm concerned, the whole joy of this book, and for that matter the 'No.1 Ladies Detective Agency' series, is the fact that the plot is entirely secondary to the digressions!

The Sunday Philosophy Club (the first in a new series from McCall Smith) is set in his home town of Edinburgh, Scotland. As with the Mma Ramotswe books, the story is not driven by the plot so much as the commentary. However, the difference is that whereas Mma Ramotswe is an African Miss Marple - who has an instinctive understanding of people based on her close observations of life in her own small community, the star of this new series is an extremely well read moral philosopher named Isabel Dalhousie which gives McCall Smith a wider and more sophisticated canvas on which to work. The Sunday Philosophy Club is very clever, but without ever being obvious or overstated and is stuffed full of wonderful one-liners such as 'cooking in a temper requires caution with the pepper'. All in all, it's a pleasure to read.

If you're a North American fan of Mma Ramotswe, don't despair - there's at least one more in the series to come. In The Company of Cheerful Ladies has recently been published in the UK and Australia and will be available in the USA and Canada in April 2005.  (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

Full Review (428 words).

Media Reviews

Newsday [McCall Smith's] accomplished novels . . . [are] dependent on small gestures redolent with meaning and main characters blessed with pleasing personalities . . . Not so much conventional mysteries, [his] novels are gentle probes into the mysteries of human nature.   The Plain Dealer [McCall Smith writes] the best, most charming, honest, hilarious, and life-affirming books to appear in years.   Chicago Sun-Times Utterly enchanting . . . It is impossible to come away from an Alexander McCall Smith 'mystery' novel without a smile on the lips and warm fuzzies in the heart.   Library Journal - Nicole A Cooke Unfortunately, Smith's subplots are more interesting than the main mystery, and Isabel tends to get bogged down in philosophical digressions, but the writing and characters propel the narrative forward. While the plot takes a few unexpected turns, it is ultimately resolved too quickly and easily, all the while preparing the reader for future installments.    Kirkus Reviews... [A] detective story with charm, warmth, and virtually no detection. There aren't even any meetings of the Sunday Philosophy Club. Lacking Precious Ramotswe's exotic locale, Isabel has to get by on civility and moral starch. But this new series, which makes Edinburgh feel as intimate as Mma Ramotswe's Gaborone, just might fill the bill for patient, literate readers mourning the death of Amanda Cross.    Publishers Weekly Murder and moral obligation mingle in this whimsical new series from the author of the smash hit The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.... Fans will quickly be reassured that McCall Smith's latest possesses all the gentle humor and keen insights into human nature that characterized his Mma Ramotswe novels, and they will buy, buy, buy accordingly.    Booklist Starred Review. Scotland's climate may be misty and cool, but the author's gentle humor and keen insights into human nature warm every page of this engaging series debut. Among the novel's whimsical moments is a performance by the Really Terrible Orchestra, a real-life ensemble in which McCall Smith plays the bassoon--badly.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Monika
The Sunday Philosophy Club
A good introduction to the Isabelle Dalhousie series and sets the Highlander scene for the following books. An explosive beginning, lovable and despisable characters, questions of loyalty, moral inquisition all highlight the plot which comes to a...   Read More

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